Maria
by Reefgirl
Summary: Lorne takes care of a little girl he finds in a prison cell, TeylaLorne ship. The Epilogue is now up. Thanks to everyone who read it.
1. I've Just Met a Girl Named Maria

Title: Maria

Rating: K+

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/McKay friendship. A hint of Lorne/Teyla at the end

Summary: Lorne and McKay are thrown in prison where they find a little girl

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: This is for the folks in the Lorne Thunk Thread in GateWorld after having the idea that Lorne loved kids and came from a large family.

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"Great just great, join the Atlantis project and see the inside of every prison cell in the Pegasus Galaxy" moaned Dr Rodney McKay. Major Marcus Lorne sat down, put his head in his hands and groaned, if McKay kept his whining up he'd end up dead before they'd get rescued, yeah he'd heard Leavenworth was nice this time of year.

"...and they took all our power bars, I'm starving, what will happen if I have a hypoglycaemic attack? Will these gorillas know what to do? I doubt it..." whinged Rodney.

"McKay" said Lorne with a sigh

"...and then there's all that equipment they took from us, the SGC's going to be pissed, these things don't grow on trees..." said Rodney

"McKay" Lorne remarked more forcibly.

"...and then I'm going to have some serious words with Ronon, he said this place was under peaceful occupation..."

"MCKAY!" yelled Lorne, Rodney turned to face him

"What!" he retorted.

"Shut up" Lorne said, Rodney opened his mouth to carry on "don't say another word and I won't hurt you" Rodney folded his arms and huffed. A rustling sound caught Lorne's ear, Rodney heard it too and put his feet on the bench he was sitting on

"Rats?" he asked. Lorne put his hand up and motioned him to be quiet "great now we have the Pegasus equivalent of rats in here with us, knowing my luck they will be giant, mutant, plague carriers..."

"McKay" Marc warned. He crouched down and saw a pair of scared green eyes peering out from under the bench and then he smiled at her

"Hey there, come on out, we're not going to hurt you" he said. His eyes adjusted to the gloom he saw a little girl crammed as far as she could into the corner, he lay on his stomach and reached out his hand "come on honey, you can't stay under there forever" he said, Rodney peered under the bench.

"What's going on? You trying to make a pet out of the rat?" he asked, Marc sighed

"There's a kid under here, a little girl, I'm trying to get her out," he whispered. McKay groaned

"Great, this day couldn't get any better if it tried, I hate kids more than I hate prison" he grouched. Lorne turned back to the little girl who had squeezed herself further away from him

"Don't worry about him, he's just a grumpy old man who has no friends" said Marc with a smile

"Hey, I resent that" said Rodney.

"Now let's start with the basics, what's your name? Mine's Marc and his is Rodney" the little girl shook her head "your not going to tell me or you haven't got a name?" the girl shook her head again but moved a little closer towards him. Lorne sighed inwardly; this was going to take a while. His sister Kathy and her husband were Foster Parents and he had seen them spend hours trying to get the kids in their care to talk, it usually started with them trying to coax the kids out of the cupboard under the stairs.

"Leave her there, she'll come out when she's ready" said Rodney unsympathetically, Marc ignored him

"What about you mum what happened to her?" he asked, the girls bottom lip started to wobble and she pointed up

"She's upstairs?" he asked and she shook her head. She put her hands together and looked up and it dawned on him, her mother was dead "Ah, she's in heaven...um...with the Ancestors" she nodded "you poor kid, how long have you been here", she shrugged and crawled out from under the bench but still keeping her distance, Marc's face broke into a beaming smile "that's better". By his reckoning she had to be about five years old maybe a few years older, it was difficult to tell because she was so thin "so you don't know how long you've been here, do you know why you're here?". She pulled at her hair and then pointed to his and then Rodney's "What? We're all in here because of the colour of our hair?" Rodney snorted

"That's ridiculous" he said, Marc shot him a warning glance that said don't frighten her

"We don't know what happened here during the occupation, it might be perfectly natural to them to put kids with different coloured hair in prison," he said.

"Oh of course, every civilized society puts kids in prison," replied Rodney. Marc's back was starting to ache from lying on the floor

"Now I'm gonna get up and sit on the bench 'cos I'm getting backache, now you gotta trust me that I'm not going to come anywhere near you and I'm not going to hurt you, you ok with that" he said, the girl nodded "good girl, ok I'm getting up and I'm sitting down, see no problem". He sat back on the bench with a sigh of relief; he was getting to old to be doing this

"You know thinking about it everybody we saw in the village had blonde hair" said McKay.

"Yeah, and when we were arrested they kept calling us infiltrators and the like" said Lorne

"If the occupying force's soldiers had dark hair they'd naturally think we were spies," reasoned McKay "but what about her?" There was a sound of keys jangling and the door opened, the girl dived under the bench and peered out from behind Marc's legs, one point to me he though, a guard came through the door with three plates of food which he left on the bench.

"When are you going to let us go?" demanded Rodney, the guard sneered

"Let you go? You will be tried and executed as spies" he replied

"Look we are not spies we came to study the ruins" protested Rodney

"You will have your say at the trial," said the guard.

"What about the kid? Why is she here?" asked Lorne,

"Her mother was a traitor to her people and _she_ is an aberration, she is disgusting and filthy and shouldn't be allowed to live...," said the guard. Lorne got up with his fists clenched and advanced on the guard who drew his weapon; Rodney caught hold of Marc's arm and held him back

"No Major, don't give him the satisfaction," said Rodney. The Guard sneered at them

"You're friend is a sensible man" he said as he closed and locked the door behind him,

"Well I guess we now know why she's here, her father was an enemy soldier and she and her mother were locked up because of it," said Rodney as he pushed past Lorne to get at the food "oh God this looks good, I must be starving to say prison food looks good". He picked up the plate and sat back down to eat, Marc sighed and sat on the bench, these guys were something else, keeping a kid in prison because her father was an enemy soldier, he smirked to himself Kathy would rip them apart with her bare hands if she ever found out. The girl picked up the remaining plates and handed one to him,

"You know, I had a big breakfast so I'm not that hungry, you have it," he said even though he could feel his stomach clench with hunger, God knows the kid needed it more than he did. She looked at him and then at the plate "go on, it's all yours" the girl beamed at him as she started to eat,

"Huh, if you weren't that hungry you could have given your food to me, I'm more important than some kid," said Rodney. Lorne scowled

"McKay shut the..." he stopped as he remembered the girl sitting next to him "McKay, be quiet"

"What? I was just saying," whined Rodney. Marc turned to the girl, he was beginning to win the hearts and minds battle,

"So you going to tell me your name now?" he asked, the girl shrugged,

"You haven't got a name?" he asked and the girl shook her head "well we'll have to do something about that, how about..." he took a good look at her and smiled "...Maria, my little sister's called Maria, you look a lot like her when she was your age". He wasn't kidding either, the big green eyes, untidy hair and dirty face reminded him so much of his kid sister and the way she used to beg him to distract mum while she cleaned herself up after playing in the street all day, a regular tomboy she was then. The girl thought for a moment and then smiled at him "you like that? Maria", she nodded "Maria it is then, how do you do" he put his hand out; Maria looked at it and then up at him "it's how we say hello". Marc clasped his hands together and shook them, he then held his hand out again and Maria took it gingerly, he gently shook her hand "we're friends now?" Maria nodded and shifted closer to him so she could lean against him. He grinned and gently put his arm around her shoulders; he started to hum a melody and then started to sing,

"_The most beautiful sound I ever heard: _

_Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria . . . _

_All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word. . _

_Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria . . . _

_Maria! _

_I've just met a girl named Maria, _

_And suddenly that name _

_Will never be the same _

_To me. _

_Maria! _". Maria giggled; it was the first sound he'd heard her make

"You like?" he said and she nodded "you wanna hear more?" Rodney sighed

"We're awaiting trial and execution and you're singing showtunes, kill me now", he whimpered.

"Dr McKay, Major Lorne?" said Ronon's voice

"Ronon, oh thank God, you have no idea how pleased I am to see you I thought I'd have to listen to the Major sing 'I Feel Pretty' for a moment there," said Rodney. John Sheppard's face appeared at the window; he saw Lorne with his arm around a skinny little girl and decided not to ask about the singing,

"We're gonna have to blow the bars so get back and be ready to run as soon as the bars are blown" said Sheppard, Maria looked like she was about to hide under the bench again so he hugged her a little tighter.

"These people are friends of mine and they've come to get us out of here I'm not going to leave you here, I want you to come with me to our city". Marc held her close and the explosive detonated, Maria started to wriggle. "Maria I promise you there'll be no prison and no guards in our city, no one will hurt you or be mean to you because your hair is a different colour to theirs...," he said. Rodney jumped out of the window

"Come on Major, we've no time for this" he said, Lorne glared at him

"You've gotta trust me honey, I want you to come with me so I can look after you and you can be safe..." he said practically begging her to come with him; he wasn't going to leave her to her fate at the hands of the guards.

"Major, we have to go" said Ronon urgently

"We're friends right? And as your friend I promise you no-one is going to hurt you, come with me to Atlantis and you'll be free" Marc said. He could hear the guards coming "please Maria come with me", Maria smiled and grabbed his hand "good girl" he said grinning. He picked her up and handed her through the window to Ronon "don't be frightened of Ronon, he may look scary but underneath he's a pussycat" this was met by titters from McKay and Sheppard and the pussycat looked like he was going to pounce on them. Lorne jumped from the window and grabbed Maria's hand

"Come on honey we gotta run" he said as he sprinted off,

"Speed it up people," said Sheppard as the sound of gunfire and shouting was heard. Marc picked up Maria and ran off after Sheppard and the others towards the cloaked jumper.

Once they were all in the jumper and heading for the gate in space Marc finally felt he could relax, Maria was still clinging to his hand as she stared bewilderedly around her.

"Don't worry Maria you're safe in here" he said,

"You wanna tell us?" asked Sheppard

"Her mother was sent to prison because her father's an enemy soldier, her mother died and they kept her in prison," said Lorne. Ronon growled and Teyla sighed

"How someone could put a child in prison," murmured Teyla as she smiled at Maria,

"Maria this is Teyla, Teyla this is Maria," said Lorne, Maria held out her hand "I've been teaching her the way we Earth people say hello" Teyla took her hand and shook it.

"Hello Maria" said Teyla as she leant her head forward, Maria looked at Lorne who nodded, Teyla touched her forehead to Maria's "and this is how my people say hello"

"See, that's another friend you've made today" said Marc.

Elizabeth and Carson were waiting for them in the Jumper bay.

"Welcome back you two, I understand you've have an eventful trip" Elizabeth said, Rodney immediately started to whinge "and I see you've bought back a souvenir". Maria looked warily at her

"This is Elizabeth she's in charge of the city, this is Maria", Maria smiled shyly at Elizabeth "she was in our prison cell, I couldn't leave her there I just...couldn't" he said by way of explanation. Elizabeth smiled at Lorne

"I would have been more upset if you'd left her behind" she replied as she ruffled Maria's hair "take her to see Dr Beckett and then we'll decide what to do"

"I said I'd look after her" he said, Elizabeth raised her eyebrows

"You Major?" she said. Lorne grinned

"I've got over twenty nieces and nephews, I'm everyone's favourite Uncle, I know what I'm doing," he said

"I don't doubt it for a minute" she replied.

"If we're going to open the Atlantis Home for Waifs and Strays _he's_ going to be Mary Poppins" grouched Rodney. Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon stifled giggles as Maria peered over Lorne's shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Rodney; he huffed off to the Med Bay with Carson.

"We've got to go and see the Doc, he's going to make sure you're ok and you're not sick, is that ok?" he said as he put Maria down, she nodded and took his hand, she smiled up at Teyla and took her hand too. Surprised, Teyla looked down and smiled

"Looks like I found myself a babysitter already" Lorne remarked, Teyla smiled at him this time

"I think I would like that" she replied as they headed for the med bay.


	2. Consider Yourself at Home

Rating: K+

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/Teyla

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: I'm so glad you all liked the story about Lorne and Maria, it was just meant to be a one off but so many of you wanted me to continue with the story and thinking about it there is so much more to be added, and so Swishes the air with her magic wand your wish is granted

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In the Med Bay, Maria was glaring at Dr Carson Beckett as he prodded and poked at her. Lorne smothered a chuckle as she slapped at his hand, it had been a long time since Carson had had to deal with a reluctant child,

"Feisty wee thing isn't she?" Carson said with a grin.

"So what's the verdict Doc?" said Lorne

"Well going by what you've told me I'd say she's malnourished and probably suffering from vitamin deficiencies but we'll going to have to wait for the test results to see what treatment she needs, but she's probably only going to need vitamin shots, a decent diet and some sun on her wee face" Carson replied ruffling her hair.

"So how old d'you reckon she is?" Lorne asked

"I'd say she's five years old" Carson replied, "so what happens now"

"I'm hoping Dr Weir will let her stay here with me 'cos I promised I'd take care of her, it took me hours to get her to trust me and I don't want to have to tell her I lied about me looking after her" he said simply.

"I agree," said Kate Heightmeyer, coming through the door, Lorne frowned

"Little early for her to be in therapy don't ya think Doc?" he said. Kate smiled

"I'm not here for a counselling session, Dr Beckett called for some advice on what would be best for her and, as the Major is willing, I say she should stay with him for the time being," she looked down at Maria who was clinging on to Marc as though someone might take him away from her. "I don't want to upset her too much she's been through enough I should think" she crouched down and stroked the little girl's hair "I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through" she said softly "but I'll be here when ever you need me" she said to Lorne who smiled at her.

"Thanks Doc and sorry about snapping earlier" he said, Kate waved her hand

"S'ok and if you need a babysitter just ask" she said as she turned to leave,

"I think the next order of business is to get you cleaned up lassie," said Beckett, Lorne grinned at Maria

"You don't want to argue with the Doc so I think its bath time for you," he said. Teyla got down from the bed where Dr Biro had been checking her over

"I think that will be my job" she said

"It's ok Teyla I can..." Marc started but Teyla stood her ground.

"No, you need to shower yourself and I think Maria would benefit from a little female company, it would also give us the chance to become friends, do you not think Maria" she said. Lorne held up his hands in surrender, he knew better than to argue with Teyla, Maria looked at her uncertainly and then up at Lorne

"Don't worry Teyla's not going to hurt you, she's gonna look after you while I get changed and she'd gonna help you get cleaned up, you ok with that? I'll be back as soon as I can, ok?" Maria nodded and shifted across the bed to Teyla and put her arms around her waist, Teyla smiled, gently lowered her to the floor and led her towards the showers.

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On the way back to his quarters, Marc stopped at housekeeping to ask them to put a spare bed in his room for Maria. After he had showered and changed, he stopped off at Elizabeth's office,

"Major, how's Maria settling in?" she asked

"She seems to be ok, Dr Beckett says she'll be ok after a little TLC and some decent meals," he said with a smile.

"I had Dr Heightmeyer in earlier and she recommends that Maria stay with you for the time being, are you ok with that?" she replied

"Yes Ma'am, if it's ok with you?" he said

"It's fine with me, Dr Heightmeyer says she doesn't want her upset any more than is necessary," Elizabeth said. Lorne grinned

"Thank you Ma'am, while I'm here is it ok if I tag an email onto the weekly report?" he asked

"Is it important?" she responded.

"I guess, it's to one of my sisters, I'm gonna need stuff for Maria, clothes, toys and the like and if anyone can get me what she needs it's my sisters" he replied,

"I can put in a requisition to the SGC if you want? I don't know what they'll make of it but I can try," said Elizabeth. Marc laughed

"Thanks Dr Weir but I've got thirteen nieces, there are enough spare clothes and God knows what else in my family to keep Maria going until she graduates," he said. Elizabeth's jaw dropped.

"Thirteen nieces!" she said

"Yep and twelve nephews, my family's quite large, in fact we're thinking of applying for our own state" he said with a laugh. Elizabeth shook her head

"Twenty five nieces and nephews" she said with a sigh "ok Major let me have it by tomorrow morning and I'll send it through, by the way if you need a babysitter I'd be happy to help" she said.

"Thank you Dr Weir" he said as he left her office

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Marc made his way back to the med bay where he saw a decidedly damp Teyla sitting on a bed drying off Maria

"Hey don't you scrub up well?" he said to Maria who started to wriggle out of Teyla's grasp.

"I think you can take over now," she said handing the towel to Lorne "I will see if I can find something for her to wear until I go to the mainland tomorrow". Lorne looked at her damp clothes and sighed, if only he thought. He grabbed Maria and wrapped her in the towel

"Have you been a good girl for Teyla?" he said and Maria nodded. Carson came over with some papers in his hands "so whatcha got for us Doc?"

"As I suspected she's malnourished and has deficiencies in all major vitamins, nothing that can't be cured," he said

"So what's the treatment?" Marc asked.

"A course of vitamin shots and a bit of a specialised diet for a few weeks, nothing too rich because her stomach probably won't be able to cope, I've had a word with Alex the chef and she says it'll be no problem" Carson replied as he moved away to get the vitamin shot ready.

"Hear that? Doc says you're gonna be ok" he look over at Carson preparing the syringe and carried on talking to distract Maria from the injection "after this we'll go and get something to eat and tomorrow we'll go and explore the city" he said. Maria whimpered as she felt the needle go in and glared at Carson, "there's a brave girl, Doc's only doing that to make you feel better" he said hugging her tight. Teyla appeared and handed him a t-shirt and a piece of cloth to use as a belt

"I am afraid it's the best that I could find," she said apologetically

"That's no problem, I appreciate you doing this for me," he said. Teyla smiled

"I am glad to help" she said as he pulled the T-shirt over Maria's head, he stood her on the floor and the t-shirt brushed her knees, Teyla knelt beside her and tied the belt around her waist

"Very smart" said Marc "the belle of the ball". Teyla handed him a brush

"I thought she could use this, I managed to get most of the knots out while she was in the shower" she said, Marc sat Maria on the bed and started to brush her hair, she glared at him and tried to hide under the blanket.

"Oh no you don't missy, if you're going to the mess hall with us you're going to look like a little lady" he said with a laugh as he whipped the blanket of the bed, Maria made a grab for it, missed and collapsed in a giggling heap on the bed. Marc and Teyla looked at each other and smiled at the sound of Maria's laugh

"Well what d'ya know?" said Marc, Teyla put her hand on his shoulder

"You should be proud of what you have achieved with her in such a short time, Marc," she said. Lorne was stunned at Teyla's use of his first name

"Thanks" he said, Maria tugged at his hand and grinned "are you gonna let me brush your hair now?" she nodded. He sat her on his lap and finished brushing her hair; he then started to braid it,

"You've done this before," said Teyla sitting next to him

"I've got five sisters, three of them younger than me, everyone had to give mum a helping hand getting the younger kids ready for school in the mornings," he said

"You have a large family?" she asked

"Five sisters and four brothers" he said "you?"

"I was the only one" she replied sadly "it is not common for us to have too large a family; some believe it will get them noticed by the Wraith". Marc reached out and squeezed her hand. Maria, seeing the sad look on Teyla's face leant over and hugged her; Teyla hugged the little girl back.

"I believe you are now ready to go and get something to eat," she said as she picked Maria up.


	3. Moths to a Flame

Rating: K+

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/Teyla

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: I am so please with the reaction this story is getting, I only wrote it as a one shot for a friend. Thanks to everyone for the reviews

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Lorne, Teyla and Maria made their way slowly to the mess hall; their progress had been delayed by Maria's fascination for doors that opened when you walked up to them. Lorne walked up to the counter with Maria in his arms and the server called for Alex, the head chef,

"Hi Major and you must be Maria" she said with a smile

"Dr Beckett said he'd spoken to you about something for Maria," Lorne said.

"Yep he did and it's no problem at all, if you want to sit down I'll bring it over to you" she ruffled Maria's hair "I heard all about what happened and what you did, good on you, who knew the Nazi's had relatives in space eh" she said as she went back into the kitchen. Lorne filled his tray,

"Alex is going to make you something special to eat, you gotta be nice to her 'cos then she'll make nice things for you" he said to Maria as he put her down and led her to a table by the window. Maria immediately stared open mouthed out of the window

"That's the ocean and Atlantis is in the middle of it, Teyla's people live on the mainland which you can't see from here but we'll go there soon" he said, Teyla sat opposite them.

"I am visiting the mainland tomorrow, you can accompany me if you wish," she said

"I'd like that" he replied, Alex came over and placed a tray with some scrambled eggs, toast and fruit on it in front of Maria

"There you go baby one and if you eat all that up, get your daddy to bring you to the kitchen and I'll see if I've got any ice cream in my freezer, just don't tell Dr McKay ok" she said.

"I'm not..." Lorne started but Alex just winked

"Sure you're not, if you need a babysitter just ask" she replied. Maria turned her attention from the window to the food in front of her; she looked thoughtfully at it and then moved her hand over, Lorne held it firm

"Uh-uh, the first thing we gotta do is teach you some table manners". He handed her a fork "some food you can eat with your fingers, like the toast and the fruit but most food you've got to eat with a fork, ok watch me and Teyla, you'll soon get the hang of it" he said, he picked up his fork and started to eat. Maria watched for a few seconds and then put the fork into her own food, after a few hit and miss, tries and some encouragement from Marc she slowly got the hang of it.

"May I join you Major?" asked Elizabeth,

"Sure" he replied as Elizabeth sat next to Teyla

"Are you enjoying that Maria?" she asked. Maria nodded then frowned as a piece of egg fell off her fork, Elizabeth chuckled as the girl scowled at the fork

"Don't worry honey, it'll get easier" said Marc with a grin.

"Can we join you sir?" said Laura Cadman as she and Katie Brown strolled up to the table

"Of course" Lorne replied

"Hiya sweetie" said Laura as she tweaked Maria's nose "stick with me and you'll be joining your daddy's team in no time".

"I'm not..." he started again

"Are you sure about that?" said Katie Brown with a wink

"If you need a babysitter just ask," said Laura, Katie nodded

"That goes for me too, just say the word" she replied.

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John Sheppard looked around the mess hall trying to spot Major Lorne; he wasn't with his team which John thought was odd. On his third look over the hall he saw him, sitting with Lt Cadman, Dr Brown, Dr Kusanagi, Teyla _and_ Elizabeth, that was weird he thought, Lorne didn't usually sit with the women of Atlantis he preferred the company of his team or John and his team. He saw Elizabeth and Lt Cadman get up and leave only for their places to be taken by Dr Simpson and Dr Biro, _he_ wasn't sitting with the women _they_ were sitting with him.

"Hey I thought you were going to sit with Lorne?" said Rodney

"I am, it just took me a while to spot him," replied John. Rodney looked around the room and spotted Lorne surrounded by women, he looked at John's face and chuckled

"Looks like you've lost your position as Heart-throb of Atlantis", he said, John scowled and went to join Lorne, Rodney followed he didn't want to miss this for all the Power Bars on Atlantis.

"Major, ladies" John said as he sat down, the women acknowledged him and turned their attention back to Lorne and Maria, Rodney almost spat his coffee out of his nose

"This is priceless absolutely priceless" said Rodney. He leaned towards Maria, avoiding the orange that Teyla was peeling for her "your daddy has just made my day". Miko Kusanagi got up and picked up her tray

"What you did today was truly honourable, if you ever need me to look after Maria I will be glad to" she bowed her head "may your daughter bring joy to your soul" she said in Japanese.

"Thank you" said Marc as she left "what did she say at the end?"

"Ah...something like May your daughter bring happiness to your life, or something like it," said Rodney, Marc sighed he'd given up protesting by this point. Maria was sitting on Marc's lap and Teyla could see her eyelids drooping.

"Major, I think Maria is tired" she said, Marc looked down and saw her fighting to stay awake

"Yep, I think it's time for bed for you" he said as he got up "thanks for the babysitting offers ladies",

"There's nothing sexier than a single dad" said Katie Brown with a sigh, this time Rodney spat his coffee out as he saw the poisonous look John gave Katie.

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Back in his quarters, Marc got Maria ready for bed

"This is your bed, see nice and soft" he got Maria to lie down and covered her with the military issue blanket "I know it's not much, I'll see if Becky can send me something a bit softer for you". He lay down on his bed and picked up his book, every so often Maria's head would peer up from her bed, "what's the matter, you worried that I won't be here when you wake up?" Maria nodded "I'm not going anywhere, I promise" he said. He sat on her bed and brushed the hair gently out of her eyes

"Hush little baby don't say a word, daddy's going to buy you a mocking bird..." he sang.

Teyla was making her way to Lorne's quarters with a knitted blanket, a cardigan and a sweater Kate Heightmeyer had given her, the Atlantis Stitch and Bitch group, which she ran, had what they called a refugee box. Alex Ramsey the head chef had come to her a couple of months ago with the idea of knitting clothes and blankets for the large amount of refugees that were coming through Atlantis due to the increased Wraith culling. Kate had seen Teyla going past her door and called out to her, she asked Teyla to give the items to Major Lorne for Maria. Teyla had asked why Kate couldn't do it and Kate had given her a knowing smile

"You know him better than I do," she had said.

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When Teyla got to Marc's quarters, she heard someone, the Major she assumed, singing a lullaby. She stopped and listened, he had a beautiful voice she thought, she waited until he'd finished and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in" said Marc quietly, Teyla opened the door and saw him sitting on the edge of Maria's bed,

"Dr Heightmeyer gave me these to give to you", she said handing him the objects, and he smiled

"Thanks" he said. He unfolded the knitted blanket and gently took the military one off Maria, he tucked the blanket around her and she clutched the corner

"Daddy" she murmured as she drifted off to sleep again. A lump formed in Marc's throat, it was the first word he'd ever heard her say and the last word he'd ever expected her first one to be, Teyla put her arm around him

"I do not think you can deny it any longer," she said with a smile, Marc shook his head he knew then that he couldn't any longer. Teyla laid her head on his shoulder and they watched Maria sleep.

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**AN:** I couldn't resist having Sheppard's nose pushed out of joint by the women flocking around Lorne and Maria, there _is_ nothing sexier than a single dad.

There really is such a thing as Stitch and Bitch Groups.


	4. Jealousy and Saggy Old Cloth Cats

Rating: K+

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/Teyla

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters or Bagpuss, he belongs to Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin of Smallfilms but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: Thanks for the review for the last chapter (Yes it is in the singular and here's me thinking it was the best one) here's hoping I have more success with this chapter. This is not the best chapter but it needed to be written and it will improve after this.

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Marc Lorne lay on his bed and sighed, the day had been full of surprises. He was more determined than ever not to let anyone take Maria away from him, even if it meant them living on the mainland. He'd been taken aback when he heard Maria say Daddy but convinced himself that she was only repeating the word because she'd heard others say it, Teyla had not been so sure.

"Just because you are not a blood relative does not mean you cannot be her father" she had said, "my people often take in children who have lost both parents to the Wraith, it has not stopped the children thinking any different of them"

"I know but somewhere out there she has a father" he had replied.

"And if he were any kind of man he would have come back to look for his child" she'd said

"True" he had admitted

"And do not people on your world take in unwanted children?" she had asked. He nodded "then why are you worrying?" he had laughed,

"You're right as usual" he'd replied. Teyla had placed her hands on his shoulders had touched her forehead to his, without thinking he'd slipped his arms around her and hugged her tight

"Oh my God...I'm sorry...I...I..." he had said as he let her go

"I am not offended Marc, if I were I would have let you know" she'd replied with a smile. After that she had left and Marc had tried to sleep, it hadn't been easy with too many questions and 'what ifs' had been running through his mind.

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Maria's bed creaked and her head peered up

"I'm still here sweetheart" he said, Maria smiled and scrambled onto the bed to give him a hug.

"You ready for breakfast?" he said, Maria looked puzzled "food, are you hungry?"

"More food?" she said slowly. Marc grinned

"Yeah, we eat more than once a day here" he replied

"Yes" said Maria

"Ok you wait here while I get dressed then we'll see about you," he said

"Teyla help?" she asked and Marc shook his head

"Teyla's got her own room but we'll see her later," he said wondering if she really wanted to see him after last night.

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In the mess hall, Marc collected his breakfast and Alex promised to bring Maria's over to them. Maria ran off to the table by the window, knelt on a chair to look out

"Big" she said as Marc put his tray down

"Yeah very big, the ocean's big and so is the mainland, everything is bigger than you're used to" he said ruffling her hair. Alex came up with a tray for Maria and something pink, white and furry under her arm; she put Maria's tray down and sat in the chair next to her

"This is Bagpuss and he needs you to look after him," she said handing the pink and white cat to Maria. She put her hand out and touched the furry toy cat gingerly, then she ran her fingers across it and giggled, Alex smiled "he's all yours but you have to give him a cuddle", Maria took the toy, cuddled it and giggled again.

"Say thank you Maria, it's what you say when someone gives you something" said Lorne

"Thank you" said Maria with a shy smile and Alex grinned

"Aww you're welcome sweetheart" she replied.

"Thanks" said Lorne

"My pleasure, I was going to give it to friends of mine for their daughter but Maria's need was greater," replied Alex. The head chef was a constant source of surprise to him one minute she'd be screaming abuse at the top of her voice the next, judging by the circles under her eyes, she'd be staying up late to finish a toy for a needy child,

"You got Bagpuss," said the voice of Carson Beckett and Maria nodded "you have to look after him because he's a saggy old cloth cat". Alex clamped her hand over her mouth in mock surprise and winked at Carson

"I forgot to tell Maria the magic words," she said.

"Oh aye the magic words" he said as he leaned forwards "You have to say these words"

"Every night before you go to sleep" added Alex

"Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss Old fat furry cat-puss Wake up and look at this thing that I bring Wake up, be bright Be golden and light Bagpuss, Oh hear what I sing" they said in unison, Marc looked lost but Maria was enthralled by the story. Alex went back to the kitchen and they started to eat breakfast.

"What do you have there Maria?" said Teyla as she sat down

"It's a Bagpuss apparently, Alex the chef gave it to her" explained Marc, Teyla looked confused "ask the Doc"

"I'll tell you all about it later; if you're good boys and girls" said Carson with a smirk "don't spoil it for the wee'un".

"Will you still be accompanying me to the mainland?" asked Teyla "I am going to see if I can find some clothes for Maria and I'm sure she would like to see the mainland", Marc nodded

"If you're sure you don't mind me tagging along," he replied. Teyla smiled and nodded

"I do not mind" she replied as Carson, seeing the looks between them, decided to make a strategic withdrawal

"If you'll excuse me I need to have a few words with Rodney," he said as he got up and left.

"I didn't know if you still wanted me with you after last night," he said

"I told you I was not offended, please do not worry," she said as she placed her hand over his.

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John Sheppard was waiting in the jumper bay for Teyla, he enjoyed taking her to the mainland, hell he enjoyed spending time with her full stop. He'd also been hearing gossip about the time she was spending with Major Lorne, not that it bothered him, Teyla being Teyla was probably helping him out with the kid. John could hear voices and turned to look as Teyla, Lorne and Maria entered the jumper

"Family day out" he said with a hint of bitterness in his voice

"I asked Major Lorne to accompany me, is that a problem?" Teyla asked

"No, it's none of my concern who you ask to join you" John replied. Marc couldn't help but notice the tone of his CO's voice, he knew Sheppard and Teyla were close and he really hoped he wasn't treading on anyone's toes here

"I appreciate this sir," Marc said

"Sure, fine, whatever" said Sheppard as he opened the bay door and took off, he tried desperately to quell the spark of jealousy as he noticed her sitting next to Lorne rather than opposite him.

The jumper landed on the outskirts of the settlement and a group of children rushed to greet them, Sheppard was dragged into a game by the older children and the younger ones crowded around Teyla. Halling stepped out of the meeting tent and came forward to greet them.

"I did not expect you back so soon," said Halling as they touched foreheads

"I am here because I need to borrow some clothes for this child," Teyla said indicating Maria in Lorne's arms. Maria took one look at Halling and shrunk back into Marc's arms

"Don't worry he's not going to hurt you, Halling's like Ronon scary on the outside but a pussycat underneath" he said as he put her down. Teyla spoke to an older girl

"Can you take Maria with you for a moment, be gentle with her she has been alone for much of her life and does not know how to play with other children" she explained, the girl held out her hand but Maria stood firm

"Do not be afraid, Gelna will look after you and introduce you to the other children, she will help you make friends, she is my friend and she will be yours too" said Teyla to Maria. Gelna knelt down and touched her head to Maria's

"Come with me and we will make friends" said Gelna, Maria looked at Lorne who nodded,

"Go on, you'll be ok" he said. Maria took Gelna's hand and let herself be led away

"Did the Wraith come to her home?" asked Halling

"No, Major Lorne found her in a prison cell" said Teyla as the group gasped and muttered "when Colonel Sheppard rescued him Major Lorne took Maria back to Atlantis". Marc started to look embarrassed

"I couldn't leave her behind" he said, Halling and the others nodded

"No you could not, who were these people who would imprison a child?" he asked

"They call themselves the Mygellan" replied Teyla

"If they come to trade with us we will refuse" declared Halling "and we will spread word to our partners too". Halling approached Lorne and touched his forehead to Marc's

"You are a man of honour, friend" he said.

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John Sheppard was back in the jumper waiting to leave as Teyla, Lorne and Maria approached. He saw Halling shake Lorne's hand and again a twinge of jealousy struck, the big Athosian had only ever treated him with suspicion,

"Got everything you came for?" he asked as he closed the door and took off,

"Yes thank you Colonel" Teyla replied

"Been making friends and influencing people Lorne?" he said, Lorne frowned

"Sure sir" Marc replied guardedly, he really didn't like this side of Sheppard.

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"If I'm causing trouble between you and Colonel Sheppard, tell me now" said Marc to Teyla, as he led Maria back to his room

"Trouble?" said Teyla

"Yeah, he was not happy about me joining you on this trip to the mainland" he said. Teyla nodded

"Colonel Sheppard is my friend and my team leader, nothing else and I have given him no indication to think otherwise" she replied, Marc smiled

"I have a feeling I've got some pretty tough assignments coming up, after today" he said. Teyla smirked

"If I feel Colonel Sheppard's behaviour towards you is...inappropriate I will tell him" she replied. Marc didn't know whether to feel sorry for his CO or not.

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**AN:** I know this isn't the best but it was necessary

I'll apologise now for not liking Sheppard and making it come out in my stories but what can I say, he gets on my tits.

I have a knitting pattern for a Bagpuss and I'm going to make him soon.

Bagpuss is a TV show about a storytelling saggy old cloth cat, baggy and a bit loose at the seams, that ensures warm fuzzy feelings to us Brits of a certain age, although Bagpuss is in his second generation of fandom in my house.


	5. Little Genius

Rating: K+

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/Teyla

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. I am on my hols for the next few days so this is going to be the last chapter for a week or so.

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**Three Months Later---**

Dr Simpson was looking after Maria when Rodney called her to the lab and wouldn't take no for an answer, don't say you weren't warned she thought.

"What you doin' Doc'or Ze...len...ka?" asked Maria, Radek smiled down at her

"You got my name right," he said

"Been pr...at...cis...ing" she replied.

"Practising" Radek, corrected

"Me too" Maria said with a smile, Radek chuckled usually he hated children but Maria was different she didn't talk incessantly like his nephew and she was intelligent, he could see it in her eyes. He'd played chess with Elizabeth a couple of times when she was babysitting and Maria had watched them, really watched what they were doing, learning the game and the moves. When their game had finished Radek had watched Maria set the game up again and move the pieces, correctly, around the board, he'd mentioned it to Major Lorne the next day, Lorne had said he'd thought she was bright for her age but without a school on Atlantis there was no way to see how intelligent she was.

"It broken?" asked Maria pointing to the bits on his desk

"I don't know," said Radek with a sigh, he'd been working on it for a week. He'd taken it apart to see how it worked and now he couldn't get it back together

"Oh, ok" she replied as she leant over the desk and looked at the pieces on the desk.

"What's she doing here?" said Rodney

"I was looking after her for Major Lorne when you dragged me back to the lab, I did tell you," said Dr Simpson

"Oh, well just keep her out of my way" he said. The sound of laughter made him turn round

"What?" he asked, no one was going to tell him Maria was poking her tongue out at him, she still hadn't forgiven him for wanting to leave her behind when they were rescued from the prison, Rodney sighed and stalked out of the lab muttering about kindergartens.

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"There" said Maria about ten minutes later

"What?" said Radek

"That bit goes there" she said, Radek humoured her and did as she suggested, covering his surprise when it fitted into place.

"Then that one" she said

"Do you want to do it?" he asked, he was intrigued as to how she'd worked it out. Maria began fitting the pieces together as if she were playing with a jigsaw puzzle,

"Finished" she said as she put the last piece into place, Radek couldn't believe it a five-year-old child had done in twenty minutes that had taken a week for him to figure out

"I don't suppose you know how it works" he said with a sigh, Maria looked at the thing and gently put her finger on it, it lit up and a humming sound emanated from it. Maria snatched her hand away

"I sorry I didn't mean too do it" she said looking like she was going to cry, Radek smiled

"I'm not angry Krátký jeden, you are a very clever little girl," he said. He turned his back on her slightly and tapped his earpiece

"Dr Beckett can you find Major Lorne and meet me in the lab, there is something you should know about Maria.

Major Marc Lorne tried to resist the urge to run to the lab, he had a call from Dr Beckett saying something about a call he'd got from Dr Zelenka about Maria. He steadied himself and walked into the lab, he let out the breath he'd been holding when he saw Maria was in one piece, she looked up and ran over to him

"I didn't mean to do it daddy," she wailed, he looked at Zelenka who was smiling

"I keep telling her I am not angry," he said. Marc looked at him and Beckett

"What's going on? what's happened to her?" he asked

"I'm sorry I did not mean to worry you but I believe Maria has the Ancient gene," he said as he went on to explain how she had fixed the piece of equipment he'd been working on. "Have you noticed how she studies a problem or a puzzle or a game for 10 minutes or so and then..." he snapped his fingers "she can 'see' how it works, like the cartoon character with the light bulb over the head", Lorne nodded

"I thought it was because she didn't know what to do with the toys and puzzles my sisters sent her," said Lorne.

"I think we should have a word with Dr Heightmeyer to see if there's some way we can gauge how intelligent she is" said Carson, Maria was still looking upset,

"No-one is cross with you love" said Carson stroking her head "it just means you're able to some things other people can't, like Colonel Sheppard and Dr Kusanagi" . Marc sighed, he'd been imagining all sorts of horrors when he'd got the call from Dr Beckett as he hugged Maria

"You're gonna be a braniac" he said and Maria smiled, relieved that she wasn't in trouble

"I'll take her to see Dr Heightmeyer and I'll give Teyla a call to meet me there," said Carson

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Kate Heightmeyer was waiting in her office for Carson and Teyla, Carson had called her in the hope she had some idea on how to assess Maria's intelligence, it had been a while since she'd had anything to do with child or educational therapy. She heard a knock on the door and Carson and Teyla came in with Maria

"I don't know how much help I can be, I haven't had much to do with children or educational therapy since I qualified," she said apologetically

"Dr Beckett and I bought some of Maria's toys that we thought might help," said Teyla

"And I've tested her for the Ancient gene and it's strong in her not quite up to Colonel Sheppard's but she's close" said Carson "now I'm going to leave you ladies to it".

"What are your favourite toys?" Kate asked

"Bagpuss and puzzles" said Maria, Kate handed her a 'spot the difference' puzzle

"Can you see the things that are different from this picture to that one?" said Kate. Maria looked at the pictures for a couple of minutes and then began to point out the differences,

"Remarkable" said Kate, "that puzzle was for an adult" Maria wandered off and started to fiddle with the Chessboard

"Maria, please do not touch that," said Teyla. Kate put her hand on Teyla's arm

"No it's ok, I'd like to see what she does?" the two women watched as Maria moved the pieces around the board "unbelievable, she's playing chess with herself" she replied,

"Dr McKay taught me to play this game but I cannot play well," said Teyla

"Play a game with her, I'd like to see what she does with an opponent" Kate replied. After three games, which Maria won and a few more tests Kate was convinced that Maria was gifted in one way or another. Kate picked up her knitting and chatted to Teyla as Maria played with her toys

"So you think Maria has great intellect?" said Teyla

"Well I'm no expert but she's certainly more advanced than a human five year old from Earth, of course we know nothing about the people on her planet, I'll have to ask for some specialised tests from Earth before a decision can be made" said Kate. Maria came up and sat next to Kate and watched her knit

"Like Bagpuss" she said

"Yes your Bagpuss is made like this, its called knitting," said Kate

"Can I do it?" Maria asked.

"I don't see why not" said Kate as she picked up spare needles and wool, cast on a row of stitches and handed them to her "do you want me to show you?", Maria shook her head

"I do it," she said.

An hour later and Maria had knitted a small square

"Unbelievable" said Kate "she's a remarkably intelligent child" she tapped her earpiece

"Major Lorne this is Dr Heightmeyer could you come to my office please" she said.

"Sure thing Doc, is Maria ok?" he said, Kate smiled

"Yes she's perfectly ok but you really have to hear what I've got to say," she said and she tapped her earpiece again "Dr Weir could you come to my office please". Marc and Dr Weir turned up at Kate's office at the same time,

"So what's up Doc?" said Marc with a grin

"Dr Beckett wanted me to run some tests on Maria to check her intelligence," said Kate as Marc explained what had happened in the lab,

"And?" said Elizabeth.

"I'm no expert but we could be looking at a child progeny, of course we don't know if this is a usual thing on her planet but she defiantly has an analytical mind, she can study a problem, work it out in her head and then solve it". Said Kate as she pointed to Maria's knitting "an hour a go she was watching me and now she's managed that all by herself, she's also beaten Teyla at chess". Teyla smiled

"I am not as good at the game as others," she said

"Doc Zelenka said something like that too, he said it was like the light bulb flashing over her head" said Marc. Kate nodded

"Very apt, but in all seriousness I need to get some specialised tests from Mensa to be able to judge her IQ and you need to think about an education for her, her mind needs stimulation" said Kate.

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Marc and Teyla were making their way back to Marc's quarters

"I don't know what I'm going to do, I knew she was smart but genius" said Marc

"I'm sure the people of the city will help you, they are fond of Maria" said Teyla

"I know but we've got to deal with the basics first, she needs to learn to read and write, basic Kindergarten stuff" he replied

"The children of the village have lessons, maybe Maria can join them," she said and Marc nodded

"Thanks Teyla, I don't know what I'd do without you" he said

"It is my pleasure" she replied taking Marc's hand.

"I'm sure I can sort something out when I'm back on Earth," he said

"I too am going to your world, your General Landry wishes to meet me," she said, Marc smiled

"I'll give you a list of the best places to go," he said

"I would like it very much if you will be my guide," said Teyla with a smile.

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**AN:** Krátký jeden - Little one


	6. Homeward Bound

Rating: K+

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/Teyla

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. Back from my hols now, so normal service is being resumed.

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"Ok you'll see it in a moment...there that's Earth, my home," said Major Marc Lorne. Maria had her nose pressed to the window

"It's so blue," she said

"Yeah, it's seventy percent ocean" he replied

"Like our home?" she said

"Not quite sweetheart that's about ninety percent ocean," he said. Teyla was also gazing out of the window

"It looks so peaceful," she said, Marc laughed

"With six billion people on the surface it's anything but peaceful" he replied, Teyla smiled back at him

"You know what I mean," she said. They both knew she meant that the planet below them was blissfully unaware of the horrors that the people of the Pegasus Galaxy endured.

"Watch, you'll be able to see the surface in a moment" Marc said, he could not quite believe that he had got this far in his plans for himself and Maria.

**Six Weeks Earlier:**

"Dr Weir, can you inform SGC that I want to adopt Maria, make things legal" he asked

"Of course, I don't know how they're going to react but I can try" Weir replied

"Not a lot they can say, they let Dr Frasier adopt Cassie and she had no problem with them" he remarked. Elizabeth smiled

"There is that, there's no need for me to ask if you're sure about this" she said with a grin,

"No Ma'am" he said returning her smile. Like the rest, bar one, Elizabeth loved to see Atlantis' little family together, Lorne, Teyla and Maria were beginning to turn the city back into what it originally was, a place for families to grow, now if only they could see what the rest of them could she thought.

"So I hear you and Teyla are going back to Earth" said Colonel John Sheppard

"So are about fifty other people" Lorne replied. Sheppard had been sniping at Marc over his friendship with Teyla for about six months now and it was beginning to grate. Whenever he'd asked his CO what his problem was Sheppard had always given him some pathetic non committal answer about her being a team mate and he was looking out for her or how he should leave well alone because the Athosians wouldn't be happy if anything went on between them. "I'm going to see my family and Teyla's meeting General Landry and the Committee, we're not eloping if that's what you're worried about" he added with a smirk, caught on the hop Sheppard stalked out without answering.

A couple of weeks after that Elizabeth found Lorne and Maria in the Mess Hall

"Major, I have some good news the SGC have approved your request to adopt Maria" she said

"Thank you Ma'am" he replied

"Don't thank me thank General O'Neill, he fought for the two of you" she said. Marc wasn't surprised that O'Neill had taken on the fight and won; he had a lot of respect for O'Neill.

"I understand you and I will be travelling to Earth together" said Teyla as she sat Maria on her knee

"Yeah looks that way" he replied

"What we going to Earth for?" asked Maria

"Lots of reasons, one is to make sure no-one will ever take you away from me and another is to meet my family, it's my parent's golden wedding anniversary and the first time we've all been together for many years, so it's an ideal time to meet the newest addition to the family" he said ruffling Maria's hair

"Me" she said with a giggle

"You, who said anything about you, I was going to take Ronon with me" he said. Maria pouted

"Do not tease the child Marc", admonished Teyla "he does not mean it" Marc picked her off Teyla's lap and hugged her

"Of course I don't mean it, there's going to be a whole new family for you to meet" he said.

"What is a golden wedding anniversary?" asked Teyla

"My mum and dad have been married for fifty years" he said. Teyla's eyes widened

"Fifty years" she said in wonder. A marriage that lasted ten years was a miracle for her people "why golden?"

"Each year has an item associated with it and it was traditional to give gifts of that item, paper for the first year, cotton for the second and so on. The more years you are married the more precious the item, twenty five years is your silver wedding, thirty is pearl, forty is ruby, fifty is gold and sixty is diamond" he explained

"I can see why your family would wish to celebrate" she said sadly, as she thought of her own parents

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you" said Marc.

"Do not be, my parents were married for fifteen years and they did not regret a single day" she replied.

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"Dr Carson's done this already" said Maria; she scowled as Dr Carolyn Lam put a stethoscope to her back

"Dr Lam has to do it again, for the SGC's records" said Lorne,

"So why doesn't she ask Dr Carson for _his_ records" said Maria. Dr Lam chuckled

"I was going to ask General Landry that myself" she said as she checked in Maria's ears, Maria heaved a great put-upon sigh and scowled again "ok I'm finished, I don't envy you when she hits thirteen Major" Marc laughed

"Oh I can deal with a squirt like her" he said

"I am not a squirt" said Maria haughtily

"A proper little madam then" said Lam with a smile

"Not that either" replied Maria. Marc grabbed her, swung her in the air and she started to giggle

"Behave or I'll get Dr McKay to baby-sit you for a month" he said. Maria giggled harder, "so, everything ok Doc?" Carolyn smiled

"Yes she's perfectly healthy now Carson's done a marvellous job, so I'll give my report to the legal department at some point today, you have nothing to worry about Major" she said. Marc grinned and heaved a silent sigh of relief

"Thanks Doc" he said as he and Maria left.

Lorne and Maria made their way down the corridor; he knew she was getting agitated over something

"What's up sweetheart" he asked

"I don't like it here daddy, I can't see the outside" she said

"I know honey but we're inside a mountain, as soon as we've seen General Landry I'll see if we can go up to the top" he said as he hugged her

"Daddy? I never thought I'd hear anyone call you that Major" said an amused female voice. Marc turned and saw Colonel Sam Carter standing behind him

"Colonel Carter Ma'am" he said with a salute

"Easy Major" she said with a chuckle, "I take it this is Maria?" Maria looked warily at Sam.

"Yes, Maria this is Colonel Sam Carter, you two have a lot in common, she hates Dr McKay just as much as you do" he said with a grin and Maria beamed at Sam

"You don't like Dr McKay?" Sam asked, Maria shook her head

"She's never forgiven him for wanting to leave her behind in the prison we found her in" said Lorne. Sam sighed

"Sounds like McKay" she said

"But then Dr McKay wasn't too impressed when she knocked him out in the first round of the last Atlantis chess tournament" he said, Sam laughed

"I heard about that, from at least ten different people" she replied "I've also heard she's a bright spark". Sam smiled kindly at Maria

"Yeah it's hard to find things for her to do, she goes to school with the Athosian kids but she's way ahead of them in some ways, she needs basic kindergarten stuff but also something a bit more challenging."

"Leave it to me I'll have a word with the teachers at the local school and see if we can come up with something" she said

"Teyla" squealed Maria as she ran to Athosian woman

"Have you been good?" Teyla asked and Maria nodded.

"Teyla this is Colonel Samantha Carter, Colonel Carter Teyla Emmagen" said Lorne

"I am pleased to meet you" said Teyla, bowing her head

"Pleasure" replied Sam.

"Major, your General Landry wishes to meet with you" said Teyla

"Thanks" he replied and he left the two women talking.

"Major come on in" said General Hank Landry

"Good to see you again Lorne, been hearing good things about you" said General Jack O'Neill

"Thank you sir" replied Marc with a salute.

"I understand you want to adopt a child from the Pegasus galaxy, you sure about this?" Landry said

"Yes sir, I want Maria to stay with me" he replied

"I'm not sure Atlantis is the ideal place to bring up a child" said Landry.

"The Ancients managed it ok sir" Marc remarked,

"I know but Atlantis is a military base", Landry countered

"It won't always be one sir, I promised Maria I would take care of her and I'm not going to break my promise, I'll live on the mainland with the Athosian's if I have to" he said. Landry smiled

"I can see you haven't come to this decision lightly" Landry opened a file "I've had reports from Dr Weir, Dr Beckett and your Dr Heightmeyer and all of them have spoken well of you and your care of Maria and with what I've seen so far I have no more doubts either" he said. Marc beamed

"Thank you sir" he replied

"Leave it with me, we should have the majority of things done for you by the time you go back to Atlantis" Landry said as he left the office.

"You're a good man Lorne" said O'Neill.

"Thank you sir and I've been told I've got you to thank for this" Marc replied

"It was my pleasure" said O'Neill as they entered the mess and saw Teyla and Maria chatting with Daniel Jackson and Teal'c "a word of advice Major, don't let her slip through your fingers".

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	7. Confession is Good for the Soul

Rating: K+

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/Teyla

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: Hmm seems that some are not happy with the way Sheppard is being treated in this story, what can I say (that won't fill my inbox with hate mail) but it's part of the story that will be resolved later. Think of it as ShepWhump and we'll all be happy.

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The Athosian's were celebrating a successful harvest and had asked the Lantean's to join them; the village was filled with the sounds of music and laughter. Marc Lorne was sitting watching Teyla playing a game with Maria and some of the village children,

"You are in love with Teyla", said Halling, Marc was jerked out of his daydream

"I...erm...I...um..." he blustered

"It is not an accusation friend," replied Halling as he sat next to Marc. Marc looked at him and could see the man was not angry

"Yes" he replied

"And you have not told her" Marc shook his head "why?" Halling asked

"I'm not Athosian" Marc replied. Halling laughed

"To quote your Colonel Sheppard, what has that got to do with it?" he asked

"Teyla's your leader, your people aren't going to be too happy with someone from the city throwing a spanner in the works" replied Marc.

"I have known Teyla for many years, she is the same as family to me I want to see her happy and if that means marrying someone from outside the village so be it" he said

"What about everyone else? Even on my world there are people who don't like 'outsiders' joining their communities, I don't want to cause trouble" Marc replied.

"The Ancestors knew what they were doing the day they crossed our path with yours, things have changed and we know we must change with them, we cannot go back to the way things were before we met you, so we must adapt as you must". Marc smiled knowing Halling was right "so when are you going to tell her" asked Halling

"Oh yeah, sure she's going to want someone like me" Marc replied with a bitter laugh

"I have seen the way she looks at you, believe me when I say I have not seen that look in her eye for many years" Halling replied. "But nothing will happen if you worry about what is right or wrong, the ancestors know what they are doing" he smiled and clapped his hand on Marc's shoulder "go to her tonight"

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Teyla went and sat with the village women who were watching the children.

"I always knew you would make a good mother," said Mera the village elder

"Maria is not my child but I hope one day to be as good with my own," replied Teyla

"You are good with all children Teyla, you looked after Jinto for many seasons" said Jina.

"That was different, Kera was my dearest friend and if things had been different she would have done the same for me," Teyla said

"And how is your Major Lorne any different?" asked Jina. Teyla blushed

"He is not _my_ Major Lorne," she said quickly, some of the women laughed

"But you would like him to be" said Greda "I've seen the way you look at him". Teyla sighed

"Yes I would like him to be mine, very much" she replied

"So do something about it" Greda replied, the younger woman liked to think of herself as the village matchmaker

"I can't, I do not know how people would react if I took a husband from outside" Teyla said with regret.

"Where does it say that your husband _has_ to be Athosian?" challenged Greda, Teyla thought for a moment

"Nowhere, but it is surely tradition" she replied. Greda snorted

"Tradition, that is the cry of people who are too set in their ways to accept change, we all knew things would have to change when we came to live here and the Earther's took over the City of the Ancestors, you are our leader give us some new traditions". She looked around at the other women "we would rather see you marry for love not duty, if you love a man from the City of the Ancestors so be it, and we will not stand in your way" she retorted as the other women nodded their agreement. Teyla smiled

"Thank you, but I cannot tell him how I feel I could not bare the thought of him not loving me," she said. The women groaned

"Teyla, Teyla, Teyla if Charin were here she would scold you until your ears began to bleed" said Mera, shaking her head. "You have fought Wraith, you have fought drunkards, you have faced down raiders and you have confronted underhanded traders, yet you fear facing the man you love to tell him of your feelings, when did you become a mewling pup?" Teyla blushed, Mera was right she'd been using the fact that she was their leader as an excuse for not dealing with her feelings for Marc and Maria but deep down she would rather face a Wraith than be told he didn't love her.

"I am sure he does not love me, I do not want to embarrass him," she said

"And I'm sure he does, I've seen the way he looks at you, he loves you deeply it's in his eyes" said Greda and the women murmured their agreement. Teyla sighed

"I can see I am going to get no peace from you," she said with a smile

"Go to him tonight and tell him," said Jina

"He has Maria to take care of," Teyla replied in a last ditch attempt to get herself off the hook.

"Maria can stay here with us tonight, I'm sure Sacha and Jera would love her to spend the night with them," said Jina

"I can see you will accept no more excuses from me," Teyla said

"If you come back tomorrow and you still have not told him, I will tell him myself," said Greda.

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Marc was alone in his quarters; it was an odd feeling not having Maria here with him. It had been six months since he'd found her in that prison but he couldn't seem to remember at time when she _wasn't _here with him, he sat down and sighed he had to tell Teyla how he felt. If he were paranoid, he'd be convinced Halling had set this up as Jina's invitation to let Maria spend the night with her daughters had come unexpectedly; he really had no excuse now.

Teyla was in her quarters trying to pluck up the courage to tell Marc of her feelings for him when there was a knock at her door and Marc entered.

"I was just on my way to see you," she said

"I've got something to say, it's not easy so..." he took a deep breath "I love you, I've loved you for a long time" he said as he turned to go

"Marc wait, do you not wish to know my reply" she said softly. He braced himself for her rejection and turned to face her; she reached out and gently caressed his face

"I have loved you for many months now, I was too afraid to say anything for fear of rejection" she replied. Marc's mind was reeling, she loved him and she was just as frightened of rejection as he was. Teyla leaned up and kissed him, gently at first and then with more passion as he responded to her, she slipped her fingers into his hair as his kisses became more demanding and his hands slipped under her tank top to caress the small of her back.

"Stay with me this night" she whispered, he kissed her again and ran his hand over the door panel locking them in. Atlantis would have to do without them tonight.

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**AN: **Ok so that's got the Mills and Boon bit out of the way, I never thought I'd find myself writing fluffy romance but there you go. Only one more chapter and an Epilogue to go.


	8. Don't Leave Me This Way

Rating: T

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/Teyla

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: Beware this chapter involves whump. This is the last _official_ chapter but there will be an epilogue.

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"Cadman, I thought I told you to get back to the gate," gasped Major Marc Lorne

"The Genii have the gate covered sir," replied Lieutenant Laura Cadman "besides I'm not leaving you like this". Laura Cadman was kneeling beside him pressing a dressing onto the bullet wound in his chest

"Cadman, I told you..." he began

"_Don't_ give me that superior officer, direct order crap" she retorted. The team had been ambushed by two Genii soldiers, Reeves and Mortimer had been killed outright and they had killed one of the Genii, The remaining Genii had fired at Laura and Lorne, in an act of bravery, chivalry or stupidity she wasn't sure which, had stepped in front of her taking the bullet that should have killed her. Now she had to deal with the aftermath, a critically wounded and very pissed off senior officer, she was glad that she'd paid attention to Carson's nagging and carried a more extensive medical kit than the basic one the rest carried.

"Cadman leave me, get back to the jumper" he said

"No, drag me in front Colonel Sheppard if you want to when we get back, but I'd rather face a courts martial than have to face Maria and tell her that I left her daddy behind to die" replied Laura. Marc grimaced with a mixture of pain and fear at not seeing his daughter again, he'd promised her faithfully that he'd be back by the time she went to bed, he knew Laura was right there was no way they could get back to Atlantis.

"Are you this bossy in the Doc's bed?" he joked and Laura grinned

"I'm worse but I haven't heard him complain" she replied. Marc started to shiver so she slipped of her own jacket and tucked it around him trying to ward off the shock that was setting in "just be thankful I'm the CMO's girlfriend, if you'd have been stuck here with McKay _you'd_ have to treat him for hyperventilation and fainting fits first". He tried to smile but it was becoming an effort to stay awake, he mustn't go to sleep.

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"How long are they overdue now Sergeant?" asked Dr Elizabeth Weir

"An hour and a half Ma'am" replied Chuck, the Canadian Techie

"Ok Dial the gate and try to contact them" she said and Chuck started to dial the gate.

The gate splashed open and the Genii soldiers got into position, waiting to capture the Lanteans they knew would come through,

"Atlantis to Major Lorne come in, Major where are you?" Laura grabbed Lorne's radio and turned the volume down as low as she could.

"Atlantis this is Lieutenant Cadman we were ambushed by the Genii, Reeves and Mortimer are dead and Major Lorne has been badly wounded" she replied in a whisper

"Cadman, this is Sheppard what's the situation" said John

"There are about a dozen Genii soldiers at the gate, the rest are hunting for us" she replied.

"Where are you?" he asked

"About half a mile south east of the gate sir, in a clump of brush I can just see the gate from where I am," she said

"Laura love its Carson, you said the Major's been wounded" said Beckett. Laura sighed she'd been hoping they wouldn't ask as she knew Teyla would be worrying

"He took a bullet to the chest, I've done my best but his breathing is getting shallow and he's in shock I...I..." she closed her eyes and took a deep breath "he's in real trouble"

"Sit tight Cadman we're coming to get you, Atlantis out" said Sheppard.

"John..." said Elizabeth

"Don't start Elizabeth, I'm not leaving them to fall into the hands of the Genii, Lorne would do the same for me" he replied. He wasn't so sure his second in command would jump so readily to his defence anymore, not after the way he'd treated Lorne these past few months. At first he'd been angry because Teyla seemed to drift away from him as she started to spend time with Lorne and the kid, then he'd become bitterly jealous of how close they had become. She had never been as comfortable around him as she was with Lorne. Now they were a couple it was loneliness John felt.

"Ok John, take anyone you need" replied Elizabeth, he sucked in a breath

"Just don't tell Teyla about this ok," he said

"Tell me what?" said a barely controlled voice behind them. They turned to see Teyla standing behind them, they had no idea how long she'd been there or how much she had heard "I want to come with you, I am a member of your team"

"Teyla I..." he began, he didn't want her there because he didn't want to see her reactions to whatever was going to greet them when they found Lorne and Cadman because he knew it would break his heart, one-way or the other. Elizabeth put her arm around Teyla

"I need you to stay here, for Maria's sake she's going to need you more, Colonel Sheppard and his team will deal with this and they will bring him back to you both" she said. They all knew the chances of that were very slim, she'd known they were in deep trouble when Laura had answered their call instead of Major Lorne. Teyla leaned against Elizabeth for a brief moment relishing the other woman's comfort

"I will do as you ask," she said. Sheppard ran off barking orders and Elizabeth led Teyla out to the balcony, she could see the control slipping away from her friend and wrapped her arms around Teyla.

"Elizabeth I'm so scared, I do not know what I will do if he does not come back" she murmured as tears began to fall, Elizabeth didn't say anything, now was not the time for empty, meaningless words of comfort so she let Teyla cry and ramble and worry the way someone so deeply in love does.

"I am sorry Elizabeth I did not mean to embarrass you like this," said Teyla a while later, Elizabeth smiled

"Don't be, everyone needs to let go once in a while, I'm just glad I could be here for you" she said, Teyla smiled

"Thank you," she said.

"Hey, now you know how he feels when you go off world with John and Rodney, those two haven't exactly got a spotless record when it comes getting the team into trouble" Elizabeth said with a grin

"I never thought of that, I do not worry about him as much because I know he takes care of himself and his team, he has never said anything about being worried for my safety" Teyla replied.

"Doesn't mean he's not" said Elizabeth, Teyla touched her forehead to Elizabeth's

"Thank you for being my friend now I must pick up Maria" she said and left.

John Sheppard was in the first jumper and dialling the gate, with him were Ronon, Carson and a couple of SF's. Behind him in the second jumper were Stackhouse and SGA-3 and 4,

"Ok as soon as we get to the other side cloak, the Genii know we have cloaking technology, Stackhouse keep them occupied until we get to Lorne and Cadman and as soon as the gate closes dial home, we need to keep the gate open as long as possible, ok? Let's go," he said as he moved the jumper towards the event horizon. The Genii began to fire as soon as they appeared on the planet but the small arms fire was no match for the shields,

"Cadman this is Sheppard, there's a lot of life signs in your vicinity, turn on your locator beacon," John said

"Done sir, I saw you come though the gate"" she replied.

"How's Lorne?" he asked"

"Not good sir, he's conscious but only just," she said

"I can see you Lieutenant, coming in now" he replied. Laura covered Lorne, trying to protect him from the dust that was thrown up by the jumper, the back of it lowered and the two SF's and Ronon ran out beginning to prowl around the area looking for Genii soldiers, Carson and John ran over to Cadman and Lorne

"What happened?" he asked

"That bullet was meant for me, the Genii fired and the Major just stepped in front of me" Laura's voice started to crack "he saved my life," she said

"Easy Lieutenant" John said gently

"Aye and your quick actions saved his, love," said Carson "we need to get him back to Atlantis as quick as we can but if it hadn't been for you he'd be dead already". Laura smiled shakily

"At least now I can stop worrying that Teyla will kick my ass straight back to Earth" she said with a nervous laugh

"Let's get him in the jumper," said John as he signalled the SF's to pick up the bodies of Reeves and Mortimer "Stackhouse we're on our way back, keep them at bay".

As soon as she heard the Stargate alarm Teyla took off at a run for the jumper bay. She skidded to a halt as she saw Laura Cadman's blood stained uniform and stifled a cry as she saw Marc carried out of the jumper

"Marc...oh no...Marc" she whispered as they loaded him onto a trolley and ran off. John caught hold of her arm

"Let Carson do what he does best" he said

"I must go to him" she replied

"Carson won't let him go without a fight". He knew his next words were going to be hard but he kept his head up "he's a lucky guy to have you waiting for him, I'm happy that the two of you finally got together, you deserve a little happiness and I'm glad you found it here in Atlantis" he said.

"Thank you John, your blessing means a lot to me" she replied

"Go" he said and she ran off.

When she got to the med bay, she found Dr Kusanagi there with Maria

"She ran out of the lab and came here when she saw the medical staff run past," she said

"Is daddy going to be ok?" Maria asked.

"I am sure Dr Beckett will try his hardest to make sure he will be ok, the Ancestors will watch over him" Teyla replied

"I don't want my daddy to die," said Maria as she started to cry

"I know, I do not want him to die either but we must wait," she said.

Marc struggled to open his eyes, he felt like something was sitting on his chest. The last thing he remembered was Cadman telling him she wasn't going to leave him to die. Faces began to swim into focus, he could see Teyla asleep in the chair with Maria in her arms, he let out a long ragged breath, he was back on Atlantis.

"Welcome back Lorne" said Sheppard, standing on the other side of the bed

"Thanks sir" he mumbled

"Look, I just wanted to say sorry..." John started

"Sir, no you don't..." Lorne interrupted

"Yes I do, I'm sorry for the way I've behaved over the last few months, I was jealous and I had no right to take it out on you, you can make her happy in a way I never can". Teyla started to stir and Sheppard gently patted his second in command on the shoulder "you're a lucky man Lorne," he said as he turned to leave.

"Thank you sir" replied Marc.

Teyla could hear voices, she opened her eyes and saw Colonel Sheppard leaving, she looked over to the bed and saw Marc smiling at her

"Hey, thanks for waiting up for me" he joked feebly.

"Thank the Ancestors," she murmured as Maria began to wake up

"Daddy?" he said

"Right here baby" he replied, Teyla gently sat Maria on the bed

"Be careful" she warned as Maria curled up next to her daddy and went back to sleep. Teyla grabbed Marc's hand and squeezed

"Do not do that to me again," she said half jokingly, half seriously "I could not go through another day like that"

"I'm so sorry" he replied, "I didn't mean to hurt you"

"I love you so much, I cannot bear to think of losing you," she said. Marc realised how selfish he'd been, he'd wanted to protect Cadman from harm but hadn't realised what the consequences on Atlantis would have been if he'd have died. Laura was right to disobey his order to leave him,

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, please forgive me," he said

"I do forgive you but please do not make me go through this again," she said. He gripped her hand

"Marry me, I want you to be my wife" he said softly, Teyla gasped and then smiled

"Yes, yes I will" she leant over and kissed him gently.

"Hey now that's enough of that, let the man recover first," teased Carson Beckett, he frowned a little as he saw Maria curled up in the bed but didn't say anything

"I am sorry Carson," said Teyla

"Don't be love" he said with a smile, he checked on Marc and, sensing he was interrupting, he left.

"I love you" she said as she kissed him again, Maria stirred and started to move, Teyla gently picked her off the bed and sat her on her knee

"I think there is someone's opinion we should ask for before we make any plans," she said with a playful smile. Maria began to look from one too the other as Marc reached out and gently ruffled her hair

"Do you want Teyla to be your mummy?" he asked. Carson leaned back and stared out of his office at the sound of childish squeals of delight, he saw Maria with her arms wrapped tightly around Teyla, she was nodding vigorously at something that was being said to her. Carson grinned

"About bloody time too," he muttered to himself.

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**AN:** That's it, just an Epilogue to tie up a few loose ends and it's over. Thanks to everyone who's read a, reviewed and kept the faith.

Yes, Reeves and Mortimer are named after Vic and Bob; I've been watching old episodes of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)

My Other Half (An ex soldier) has often wondered why SGA-1 don't have locator beacons so they can be easily traced.


	9. Epilogue

Rating: T

Spoilers: None

Pairings: Lorne/Teyla

Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Characters but I do own Maria

Authors Notes: This is it, the final chapter. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with it through nine chapters.

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Major Marcus Lorne leaned against the railings on the balcony and listened to his wife and daughter talking as he watched the sun setting. Two years ago he'd been thrown in prison where he'd found a little girl who he had named after his youngest sister, he'd bought her back to Atlantis to make sure she'd be safe and part of a family. They had taken a few knocks on the way but sheer bloody-mindedness and his love for the little girl who looked on him as her father had seen them become inseparable. A year after that he had stood before the Athoisan priest on the mainland and promised to love and protect his wife until they met again in the arms of the Ancestors. He smiled as he remembered the first of his wedding days, the whole of the city had joined them on the mainland as he and Teyla had married. Dr Weir, Halling and Mera had told them that this was just the start of things to come as they watched the people of the city and the village celebrate with them. A month later he had returned to Earth with Teyla and Maria and had married for a second time, Teyla had insisted they be married according to Earth traditions as well as Athosian ones,

"I do not wish to offend your God or your Mother," she had said. He had told her that she had nothing to fear from his family, they would welcome her as they had welcomed Maria but she had still been worried about what his family would think of her. She knew she couldn't tell them the whole truth about where she was from and she was more than prepared for nothing more than 'Polite Acceptance' into his family, she had been taken by surprise by the warmth of his family's welcome. His parents reminded her a little of her own and they had been touched when she'd, hesitantly, told them so. For a second time he promised to love and honour his wife until death parted them and Teyla became part of a loving family once again.

Teyla had been telling him that Atlantis was happy that families were returning to her, he'd often teased her about her belief that Atlantis was sentient but even he'd noticed there was something in the air. The city was calmer somehow, there were fewer problems with the systems and the city dwellers were more relaxed somehow, Elizabeth had joked that they'd opened the floodgates when they'd announced they were getting married. A few months ago Carson and Laura had got married, Elizabeth and Radek had come clean about their relationship and he'd seen Ronon sneaking out of Miko's room in the early hours. He'd also heard rumours that Sheppard had been spending a lot of off hours with McKay, not that it bothered him, if they were as happy as he and Teyla were then good luck to them.

He looked at Maria, who was engrossed in a complicated piece of origami, and smiled; she was a certified genius now. Sheppard had contacted Mensa on his behalf and recommended that they test Maria. They had been as stunned as he was when it had emerged that Maria had an IQ of 165 and had promised to devise a specialist education programme for her, Zelenka, Sheppard and Miko had taken it upon themselves to become her teachers. Even Rodney had spent a little time teaching her, grudgingly admitting that he could see her being as smart as him one-day. He and Teyla had talked at length about the best place to raise Maria, Teyla had suggested that he take her home so she could be raised in safety among his family and he'd gently reminded her that he _was_ home, his family was here on Atlantis and Earth was a place to visit when you got some leave.

The sun had set and he watching the moon come up still lost in his thoughts when he heard Teyla gasp, he turned around and saw her gently rub her belly.

"Marc...I think it's time" she said, he tapped his earpiece,

"Med bay this is Lorne, the baby's on it's way" he said as he helped Teyla to her feet.

"We'll be waiting for ye" said the voice of Carson Beckett

"Does that mean I'm a big sister now?" asked Maria

"You will be soon" Marc replied, "We'll be one big happy family"

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**AN:** Thanks to everyone who's read and sent in reviews, you guys have been great.


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